Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SOXQ vs XLK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SOXQ returned +63.0% to XLK's +27.1%, and XLK charges 0.08% to SOXQ's 0.19%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $3.0bn for Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF and $125.0bn for State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLK costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 35.9 points; XLK is far larger, $125.0bn against $3.0bn.
| Measure | SOXQ | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +63.0% | +27.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 20.0%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 5.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Semiconductors | Technology Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $3.0bn | $125.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 40% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 61% | 64.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 18, 2021 to Oct 23, 2026 · 279 weekly returnsSOXQ returned more: +257.5% to +168.5%. XLK swung less: 24.0% to 34.4%. XLK fell less at its worst: −32.6% to −45.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SOXQ | XLK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +257.5% | +168.5% | SOXQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +26.8% | +20.2% | SOXQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +241.3% | +157.9% | SOXQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 34.4% | 24.0% | XLK | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 22.6% | 15.6% | XLK | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −45.2% | −32.6% | XLK | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.76 | 0.73 | SOXQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.15 | 1.13 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.59 | 0.62 | XLK (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 279 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SOXQ and XLK hold 40% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
40% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SOXQ and XLK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SOXQ and XLK do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SOXQ follows Semiconductors and XLK follows Technology Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 40% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SOXQ returned +63.0% and XLK +27.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 35.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SOXQ
By weight, 81% of SOXQ's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 81%. The top ten holdings are 61% of the fund across 32 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +63.0% with distributions reinvested. It sits 20.0% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
XLK
XLK tracks an index of Technology. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +27.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 76 positions, with the top ten at 64.6%. It sat 5.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are SOXQ and XLK in the same category?
- SOXQ is a thematic ETF and XLK is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, SOXQ or XLK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SOXQ returned +63.0% and XLK +27.1%.
- Which is cheaper, SOXQ or XLK?
- XLK is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, SOXQ against XLK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/soxq-vs-xlk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SOXQ against XLK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/soxq-vs-xlk
[SOXQ against XLK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/soxq-vs-xlk)
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